Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Chapter 7: Knowledge of the Absolute |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gita As It Is 7.12
SYNONYMS
ye -- all which; ca -- and; eva -- certainly; sattvikah -- in goodness; bhavah -- states of being; rajasah -- in the mode of passion; tamasah -- in the mode of ignorance; ca -- also; ye -- all which; mattah -- from Me; eva -- certainly; iti -- thus; tan -- those; viddhi -- try to know; na -- not; tu -- but; aham -- I; tesu -- in them; te -- they; mayi -- in Me.
TRANSLATION
Know that all states of being -- be they of goodness, passion or ignorance -- are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.
PURPORT
All material activities in the world are being conducted under the three modes of material nature. Although these material modes of nature are emanations from the Supreme Lord, Krsna, He is not subject to them. For instance, under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the modes of material nature -- goodness, passion and ignorance -- are emanations from the Supreme Lord, Krsna, but Krsna is not subject to material nature. Therefore He is nirguna, which means that these gunas, or modes, although issuing from Him, do not affect Him. That is one of the special characteristics of Bhagavan, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness